State database targets scrap metal thefts

Area law-enforcement officers are welcoming a new statewide initiative intended to thwart scrap metal thefts, but they realize it still is an uphill battle.

Lee Morrison TimesReporter.com staff writer @lmorrisonTR

Area law-enforcement officers are welcoming a new statewide initiative intended to thwart scrap metal thefts, but they realize it still is an uphill battle.

The Ohio Department of Public Safety is working with selected scrap metal dealers to input sales information in a database that could help identify and track thieves, according to a story in The Dayton Daily News.

With Ohio leading the nation in metal theft claims in one insurance industry ranking, the state took action in 2012 to require scrap metal dealers to register and for the state's Department of Public Safety to create a database along with a "do not buy from" list of suspected sellers.

Authorities want to reduce the anonymity for illicit metal sales and reduce the number of places where thieves can get quick cash for stolen metal. Ohio safety officials told The Daily News that they are on schedule to have the database operating on a wide scale this summer.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau reported that Ohio had 3,228 metal theft insurance claims in 2010-12 — the most nationwide.

Tuscarawas County Chief Deputy Sheriff Orvis Campbell believes that number is extremely low compared to the actual volume of thefts.

He said reports of scrap metal thefts come in at the rate of "definitely more than one a week." He explained that there are no specific statistics "because the charge would be breaking and entering or theft, even though the intent is clearly to steal copper or other metal to sell."

Another issue is that many thefts don't involve insurance claims.

"Most victims aren't covered by insurance for that type of loss. For instance, if the scrap metal is outside the person's home — or they don't file a claim because of the deductible involved," he said.

Some thefts are on a large scale, targeting cellphone towers in rural locations. Stealing the copper wire from towers or electric sites disrupts services. There have been rare cases in the past where the thieves climb utility poles. Campbell recalled one case where investigators were initially puzzled by an odd track in the snow around a utility pole where wire was stolen. It turned out the man who climbed the pole was on crutches.

The price obtained by the seller varies, based on several factors, but is still far below the replacement cost for homeowners and utility companies.

Sheriff's Detective Jeff Moore has been sent to seminars regarding Ohio law and compliance issues. He also has conducted compliance checks at scrapyards throughout the county.

"Some have been slower than others catching up with Ohio law, which requires that personnel at the scrap yard take specific photos of the seller and the items," Campbell explained. "We've also worked undercover to check and found one scrapyard was out of compliance. If there's illegal activity, the scrapyard can be charged, as well as the seller."

Campbell said that officers welcome any help, such as the database.

"But we also know that thieves whose names are on the list just get other people to go in and sell the stolen scrap, and their names aren't flagged," he said.